2016 is a good year for screenwriter Jon Spaihts. After years of development, Spaihts’ first hot spec script, Passengers, finally got made and is coming to theaters before the year ends. On top of that, he co-wrote Marvel’s latest, Doctor Strange, with director Scott Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill.

The origin story shows Stephen Strange’s (Benedict Cumberbatch) transformation from an arrogant, selfish surgeon to a powerful, compassionate sorcerer. Spaihts worked on the Doctor Strange script before Derrickson and Cargill conducted rewrites, but he was the first writer to board the project to help Derrickson and MarvelKevin Feige figure out how to best tell Stephen Strange’s trippy tale.

We recently spoke with Spaihts to discuss the challenges of writing an origin story, comic book conventions, his writing process, and more. Below, read our Jon Spaihts interview.

We’re just two days out from Doctor Strange hitting theaters all over the United States (with some screenings arriving tomorrow evening). The film has already been pulling in some decent cash overseas after hitting plenty of international territories last weekend, and it’s bound to have a good weekend at the domestic box office as well.

However, it seems like Marvel maybe needs to make a little more of a marketing push than they usually do, if only because Doctor Strange isn’t quite as well known of a character as their other franchise starters. Their latest effort is a Doctor Strange clip that finds our villain Kaecilius (Mads Mikkelsen) and his minions chasing after Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Baron Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor). Making this chase all the more interesting is the manipulation of the city around them so that its basically a pursuit through a metropolis designed by M.C. Escher.

We’re just a few days out from seeing what Marvel Studios has to offer with their latest entry in the Marvel cinematic universe, Doctor Strange. So far the early buzz has been mostly positive with plenty of praise surrounding the visuals and action of the movie, despite the fact that the movie does hit some of the tired tropes of the origin story and introduces a character not wholly dissimilar from Robert Downey Jr.’s take on Tony Stark.

At the very least, we’re getting the beginning of a new Marvel franchise that brings us into a completely different realm of the Marvel cinematic universe. Helping with that is the IMAX 3D format that allows trippy, mystical visuals to come to life in a big way. Check out a new Doctor Strange IMAX featurette after the jump to see what we’re talking about. Read More »

The other day, director Scott Derrickson said if he’s lucky enough to direct a Doctor Strange sequel, he wants to make a more visceral film, one that digs a little deeper into the villain. With plenty of world building and character introductions completed in the Marvel film, Derrickson is now free to jump right into the deep end the next time around and explore more ideas unrelated to Dr. Stephen Strange’s (Benedict Cumberbatch) origin story. The filmmaker already has a few thoughts on what he’d like to see in a Doctor Strange sequel.

Below, learn which character from the comics Scott Derrickson hopes to use in another Doctor Strange tale.

Next week, you’ll get to see how Marvel and director Scott Derricksonpulled offDoctor Strange. The character is a very different flavor of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The origin story shares obvious similarities to their past films, but in tone and execution, Doctor Strange is a slightly different, trippier, and sometimes more dramatic comic book movie. The wild visuals alone help separate Scott Derrickson’s film from the herd a little, and a new upside down TV spot uses some of the film’s grander, action-heavier shots to sell audiences on Marvel’s latest and weirdest.

Doctor Strange comes out in less than two weeks now, but the early buzz is already remarkably high for director Scott Derrickson‘s Marvel movie. Critics are embracing the origin story, which shares a few things in common with the likes of Batman Begins, Captain America: The First Avenger, and Iron Man. Doctor Strange is an exceptional origin story where the setup is as entertaining as the setpieces, but with Stephen Strange’s origin story now told, what’s next for the character?

Last week brought the first reactions to Doctor Strange after press saw the movie before it hits international markets this coming week. Now the embargo has lifted on full reviews of Marvel’s latest addition to their cinematic universe, providing us with a much more detailed reception from critics.

The full Doctor Strange reviews paint a promising picture full of rich performances, dazzling visuals and some of the best action we’ve ever seen. However, these reviews also dive deeper into the movie’s shortcomings, mainly coming from treading familiar territory as another origin story and putting forth a lead character whose defining characteristics might be a little to close to the Marvel franchise that started this whole universe with Iron Man. But thankfully, Benedict Cumberbatch and director Scott Derrickson keep that from being too frustrating.

Check out some highlights from the Doctor Strange reviews after the jump. Read More »

We’re still a couple weeks out from seeing Doctor Strange in the United States, but next week brings the film to many international markets, and that means some spoilers will start to spill onto the web, including details on both of the credits scenes (which have been screened for press already).

We’ll be keeping any spoiler talk in check here at /Film so that you don’t have Doctor Strange ruined for you, and that includes knowledge of a certain character who survives the first movie and will be part of The Avengers: Infinity War. No we’re not talking about Doctor Strange himself, who has already been confirmed to appear along with the presumed assembly of every surviving character in the Marvel cinematic universe, but a supporting character.

So who is the Doctor Strange character appearing in The Avengers Infinity War? Find out below, but beware of slight spoilers. Read More »

Even though we won’t see Doctor Strange until November 4th here in the United States, the trailers have already indicated that Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) will quickly become a master of the mystical arts, despite the fact that he doesn’t really believe in all that spiritual nonsense at first. However, it appears some wires got crossed and Jimmy Kimmel thought Doctor Strange was just a magician who could entertain at a kid’s birthday party. While Strange does his best to put on a good show for the kids, he doesn’t really know how to deal with them properly.

See what happens when Jimmy Kimmel hires Doctor Strange after the jump. Read More »

Last night, a bunch of members of the press saw Doctor Strange, and while the reviews are still under embargo, a bunch of initial reactions hit Twitter last night praising the visual spectacle, the incredible action, and Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange. It doesn’t sound like it blows any of our favorites from the Marvel cinematic universe out of the water, but it should be a great franchise starter for another Marvel hero.

If all of the early reactions have you hungry to see the movie, we have a couple Doctor Strange clips that should hold you over. One of them features more Rachel McAdams than we’ve seen in the entirety of the trailers, displaying the somewhat complicated relationship history that her character has with Strange. Meanwhile, the other clip has a frustrated Strange listening to what he regards as spiritual nonsense from Tilda Swinton as The Ancient One. Read More »